Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 517

GOLDEN RULES
477
Our
like a flower, the longest life disappears like a flash.
existence may be likened to the bubble that forms on the
surface of water.
XXI. Take heed not to trust yourself to the current of
a river, to the claws or the horns of an animal, or to the
promises of kings.
XXII. Take heed to place no trust in a false friend
only disappointment will be experienced from a wicked
woman nothing good can be hoped for from a person
who is forced to act against his inclinations nothing but
misfortune can be looked for in a country where injustice
;
;
;
prevails.
A
man of courage is recognizable in a moment
XXIII.
of danger, a good wife when one is reduced to misery, firm
friends in times of adversity, and faithful relatives at the
time of a marriage.
XXIV. A hypocrite who disguises his true character and
wishes to pass for an honest man is comparable to strong
vinegar which one tries to make sweet by mixing with it
camphor, musk, and sandal. The attempt may well be
made, but the vinegar will never altogether lose its sour-
ness.
friendship for a man in his presence and
is to mix nectar with poison.
mirror is of no use to a blind man in the
knowledge is of no use to a man without
XXV. To show
him
to libel
XXVI. A
same way
in his absence
;
discernment.
XXVII. Take
care to spend nothing without hope of
to begin
to undertake nothing without reflection
no quarrel without good cause. He who does not follow
these golden rules courts his own ruin.
XXVIII. He who works with diligence will never feel
profit
;
;
he who devoutly meditates will never commit any
he who is vigilant will never feel fear and he
who knows when to speak and when to be silent will never
be drawn into a quarrel.
XXIX. Truth is our mother, justice our father, pity our
wife, respect for others our friend, clemency our children.
Surrounded by such relatives we have nothing to fear.
XXX. It is easier to snatch a pearl from the jaws of
a crocodile or to twist an angry serpent round one's head
hunger
;
great sin
;
;